Day 4 - 298 -- Rock'n'Roll Legend Departs

Anyone who's paid attention here knows I have a an affinity for New Orleans. The city and its people found a way into my soul when I first visited just after the devastation of Katrina, Rita and the levee breaches. Today's news from that city communicated the death of a musical pioneer -- Fats Domino. His career in the 1950s and 1960s broke racial barriers. His R&B style became the beginnings of the genre of Rock'n'Roll. During the flooding of the Ninth ward east of New Orleans during the hurricane in 2005, he and his wife were rescued by helicopter from their rooftop. His home was destroyed including his piano. He did not rebuild in that area, but remained in the greater New Orleans region. His piano was on display at the state museum near Jackson Square -- something I couldn't bring myself to go see. I had lost my own piano in a flood of my parents' home and the pain of a destroyed instrument was more than I could manage.  I do have a t-shirt with the mangled keyboard on the front. This was a fund raiser for the Musicians Relief Fund. Two years later on my second visit, I saw the new musicians' village built in the Ninth ward -- colourful and wonderful to see.

This blog has highlighted several Fats Domino songs in the past. Shared here is one new to the blog that suits the end of an era with his passing. Interestingly, story has it that this was the first song John Lennon learned to play -- Domino did influence many musicians who followed his heyday. The video here appears to be from the movie "Shake, Rattle, and Rock" (1956). In it Fats Domino performs the song in his trademark style -- sitting so he had to turn his head to look at the audience. Enjoy!

Ain't that a Shame -- Fats Domino